New zoning board approves Roslindale Square apartment building that previous board rejected

The Zoning Board of Appeal today unanimously approved a developer's plans to replace a block of stores next to the Roslindale Square municipal building with a 31-unit apartment building with room for two of the current businesses.

Arx Urban's proposal calls for 19 of the apartments to be rented to people making no more than 70% of the Boston area median income. That's 61% of all the units, compared to the city's affordable requirement of 13% of units.

The Rozzie Square Theater and Delicious Yogurt would return to the building, with below-market rents, while Dragon Chef and Bob's Pita would get subsidies to move to new locations elsewhere. Arx Urban says it will work with the theater and yogurt place to find and help pay for alternate spaces during roughly 18 months of construction.

The building would have one parking space, for a short-term rental electric vehicle for use by residents.

In 2021, the zoning board rejected the proposal over parking concerns.

At today's hearing, Arx Urban's Benjie Moll said the building, located on the dedicated bus lane to Forest Hills and near the Roslindale Village commuter-rail stop, would prove attractive to people who want to live "a car-free lifestyle," but said his company is looking to lease up to 20 spaces in parking lots within a half mile should people with cars decide they want to live there.

Moll said that providing the on-site parking required by the lot's zoning would be costly enough that his company could not afford to provide subsidies for the theater and yogurt place

Supporters of the project, including Steve Gag, long active in Roslindale Square improvement work, praised the large number of affordable units, said the one thing Roslindale Square businesses need is more foot traffic.

"A lot of people think we have a parking problem and we don't have one," he said, pointing to, among other things, the municipal parking lot and two lots at the commuter-rail station.

Opponents, however, said supporters had no idea what they're talking about, that they should visit Roslindale Square during the day to see just what sort of parking issues the area has and that the building would mean a flood of Uber, Lyft, food-delivery and Amazon trucks onto the narrow, one-way Basile Street for the driveway planned for the building, disrupting activities at the neighboring Sumner School and sending all those trucks into other neighborhood streets as the drivers - many of whom would speed - try to get back to Washington Street.

Arx Urban attorney Johanna Schneider said the company is currently talking to BTD about possibly designating space in front of the building on Washington Street for deliveries. Although that's right where the bus/bike lane to Forest Hills is, she noted that's only in use for two hours in the morning, so a drop-off area the rest of the day could be a possibility.

Another resident said the "affordable" building wouldn't really be affordable for many residents. "I for one would love to see more people who live in Archdale move into this project," she said.

The BPDA board approved the project in 2021.

4198 Washington St. BPDA filings.